Throttle control



July 17, 1962 J. M. HICKS THROTTLE comm.

Filed Jan. 7, 1960 mmvron; James M. HlC/(S BY MMZM ATTOR NE Y5 United States Patent ice 3,044,267 THRQTTLE CONTROL James M. Hicks, 3930 Bridgcway, Sausalito, Calif. Filed Jan. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 1,007 2 Claims. (Cl. 6054.5)

This invention relates in general to a manually-operated hydraulic system and more particularly to such a system incorporating one master cylinder and two slave cylinders, the slave cylinders being under difierential spring compression tension whereby the piston of one is moved before the piston of the second.

It is an object of this invention to provide a structure as outlined above which is relatively simple in construction and which incorporates adjustment means whereby the amount of pressure required to actuate a piston of either of two substantially identical slave cylinders may be varied.

It is -a further object of this invention to provide a device of the type described which incorporates means for returning the piston of the master cylinder to its original position on the release of manual pressure.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a structure of the type described above designed to afford control, by means of a single manuallyoperated lever, over the gear-engaging and throttle functions of an engine, a differential tension arrangement on the slave cylinders providing means for controlling each of these functions sequentially.

'In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows the relationship of the master and the two slave cylinders;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, showing the master cylinder;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, showing one of the two identical slave cylinders with part of its tension-controlling spring broken away.

Generally, this invention comprises a device wherein a single master cylinder drives more than a single slave cylinder by means of fluid pressure applied through connecting hydraulic lines. This invention incorporates improvements in both the slave cylinders and the master cylinder, making possible the control, through a single master cylinder, of two separate functions, as, a gearengaging function and a fuel-supplying function. Means are provided for causing the individual slave cylinders to work sequentially, including resilient means exerting diiferent compression forces secured to one end of the exterior of each of the slave cylinders and at the other .end to each exposed or polished end of the piston rodof the slave cylinder, the resilient means tending to maintain the polished end of each slave piston rod in a near fully telescoped or retracted position. The master hydraulic cylinder has a piston slidably mounted therein and means'on one side of said piston at one end of said cylinder for transmitting fluid pressure therefrom. The cylinder also has an orifice at a point adjacent one end thereof in the cylindrical surface thereof providing communication with the interior of the cylinder. The orifice is in an area normally occupied by hydraulic fluid when the polished end of the piston rod is exposed to a substantial extent. Means are also provided for conveying fluid to the orifice, thus to provide a continuous supply of fluid, as needed. In the preferred embodiment, the supply means comprises a chamber formed by a sleeve which may be mounted about the cylinder, both ends of which are in liquid-tight engagement with the outer wall of the cylinder itself, thus to provide a reservoir between the internal surface of the housing and the external surface of the cylinder.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters 3,044,267 Patented July 17, 1962 position normally occupied by the operator of a boat equipped with an outboard motor. The cylinder 12 is provided with an O-ring 24 just ahead of orifice 26, thus to ensure that when the piston head has passed the orifice, a tight seal will be maintained and all pressure transmitted in the direction of fitting 28 and thence through line 30. The cylinder has a pair of flanges at either end, 32 and 34, :and O-rings 36 and 38 serving as sealing means. Thus, when external housing 40 is telescoped over the master cylinder, a tight seal is ensured and the space 42 between the master cylinder and the housing serves as a reservoir of oil which may be replenished through fitting 44.

Spring 17 tends to maintain the head of the piston in a position just short of the O-ring 24 as shown in FIGURE 2. When the remote throttle 18 is moved counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURE 1, fluid pressure is transmitted through line 30 to a T 48 which provides means for subdividing the hydraulic line so as to provide at least two separate branches 50. Each of the branches terminates in structurally similar slave cylinder elements, generally 52, which can be caused to operate slightly differently. Each of these incorporates a suitable fitting 54 which secures each hydraulic line 50 to a suitable slave cylinder 56. A substantial portion of the exterior of the slave cylinder is threaded, as at 58, and a ball receptacle 60 is adjustably mounted thereon. A clamp,

not shown, mates with the ball receptacle and the clamp connecting clip 70, as. well as a second flanged spring support 72. The clip is of molded plastic and has a hole 74 therein and a pivoted manually operatedclip element 76 which is designedto exert pressure on one side of any pm which is passed through hole 74.

The device is especially designed for use with a pontoon-mounted structure having an outboard motor of the type described in US. Patent 2,840,832, the bracket 22 being designed for mounting on the handle bar thereof, as shown in FIGURE 1. It may be used with any outboard motor-driven boat and, for that matter, maybe used in any environment where it is desired to perform two functions sequentially by the application of unidirectional hydraulic pressure, as will be seen hereinafter. In most applications, the device will be used in.the control of a motor where it is desired first to engage a clutch or gears and thereafter supply fuel in varying quantities. Where the hydraulic system is used in connection with the water ski structure described in the aforementioned patent, the two devices generally designated 52 are secured to the motor by means of a clamp and bracket mating with the ball receptacle 60. The hole 74 in one of the clips 70 should be adjacent and suitable for registry with a pin controlling the clutch or gearshift arrangement of an outboard motor. The second of the slave 3 cylinder devices 52 is similarly mounted in such a'fashion that the hole 74 may receive a pin mounted on the engine throttle. Hence, one slave cylinder will be capable of placing the motor in gear while "the second will be capable of regulating the quantity of fuel fed to the motor. The spring compression tension on each of elements 52 must be adjusted as shown in FIGURE 1 so that when fluid pressure is applied through li'nefiilf, the slave piston of the lowermost element 52' will be moved first so that its slave piston (controlling the pin which engages the motor into forward gear) is moved first and the throttle slave piston thereafter moved. Gross adjustment of each of the devices 52 may be provided by screwing the ball receptacles 60 while fine adjustment placing lesser or greater tension on the compression springs 62 is pro- 1 vided by turning clip 70 so as to move flange support. 61 7 toward or away from the hexagonal gland 64. The shift slave assembly 52' will be adjusted so that a lesser amount of pressure is required to move its piston than is necessary to move the piston of the throttle slave assembly 52.

7 Obviously, it would be possible to utilize one or more additional slave cylinder assemblies for performing additional functions, the principle of two or more spring tensions whereby to result in a sequential movement of two or more slave cylinder piston rods being easily ap-- wise, a s seen in FIGURE 1, and the master cylinder transmits pressure to the two slave cylinders. This pressure activates the shift slave cylinder 52 first, thus engaging the motor into forward gear. When the throttle is pulled farther in the same direction, the piston of the master cylinder creates additional pressures which acmentioned and hence need not. be further detailed herein. When the second slave cylinder is dispensed with and the device thus adapted for use with outboard motors having controls of this simplified type, certain of the advantages of the structure of this invention are still secured as the dead man feature which results from the function of spring 62 is still seen.

Suitable hydraulic fluids are Standard-Chevron Torque Fluid No. 1type A, Automatic Transmission, and Union Oil Turnaco, No. 200.

Obviously, many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. In a system where a single master hydraulic cylinder drives more than a single similarly sized slave/cylinder by means of fluid presure applied through connecting hydraulic lines, the improvements comprising: re-

silient means secured at one end thereof to the; exterior of each of said slave cylinders, said means beingso secured' by means of supports threaded to the exterior of each of said slave cylinders, each of said resilient means being secured at the opposite end thereof to an theremote throttle handle 18 is moved counter clock tivate the throttle slave cylinder. Upon release of the,

handle, the spring tension provided by each of springs 62 and 17 cuts the supply of fuel and returnsithe motor to neutral gear. This dead man feature, insofaras spring 17 and one of springs 62 are concerned, may be dispensed with in certain applications.

Preferably,- the orifice 26.is in the form of a slot in a plane perpendicular to'that of the drawings rather than exposed end of the piston rod of a slave cylinder and tending to maintain said exposed end of said slave piston rod in a telescoped position relative to said slave cylinder; and means on the exposed end of each of said slave piston rods for securing said exposed end to an element to be moved.

2. Ina system where a single master hydraulic cylinder drives more'than a single similarly sized slave cylinder by means of fluid pressure applied through connecting hydraulic lines, the improvements comprising: resilient-means secured at one end thereof to the exterior of each of said slave cylinders, the means of securing said resilient means comprising a'support threaded to the exterior of each of said slave cylinders, each of said resilient means being secured at the opposite end thereof to a similar supporting element fixedly secured to an exposed end of each of said slave-piston rods; a ball receptacle. threaded about each of said slave cylinders; and

a clip fixedly secured to the exposed end of each of said merely a small-hole through the cylinder since this will permit oil to enter the cylinder 12 even when the supply in reservoir 42 is relatively low.

Certain of the outboard motors now available for use with boats, for example, the Mercury Mark 15 and Mark 28, models 1960, are provided with a single control handle which first engages the gears and thereafter serves as a throttle. In such an environment, the second slave'cylinder of this invention maybe dispensed with,

one slave cylinder device 52 in itself serving as means for controlling both the gear-engaging and throttle function. The clip is modified, if necessary, to engageja" rackgear which in turn controls-a spur'gear; j This structure is conventional in outboard motors of. the type aforeslave piston rods whereby to provide means for engagmg the element to be moved. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Harper et al. Feb. 21, 1956 

